Escape
by planet p
Summary: Chiana is captured by Peacekeepers, but swears to non-co-operation.
1. Chapter 1

**Escape** by planet p

**Disclaimer** I don't own _Farscape_ or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes** Written in February 2006.

* * *

**Chapter One**

The scraping of a lock in a door woke the young Nebari woman from her restless nightmares. Her ebony eyes blinked slowly and opened tentatively. The light stung so bad and her head spun, her bones felt as if they would crumble and her muscles stung as though over-stretched but her mind didn't give her body a chance.

She wrenched herself to her feet and was standing before she realised her body wouldn't let her.

* * *

The door was thrown open. Chiana stumbled forward blindly. A familiar voice spoke from the door.

"Stand!"

For how long she had been in this cell she did not know or care. Every day was the same. Wake, work, eat, sleep, and all over again.

The Warder scowled but she didn't care.

She vowed she would never serve the Peacekeepers. No matter what they did to her, she would never give in. She would never tell them. They had beat her, tortured her, starved her and still she did not work.

Then came the day when they gave her the choice.

* * *

"_I will not serve frelling Peacekeepers!" Chiana shouted at the top of her voice pulling away from the guards who had taken hold of her. Another guard stepped forward and smacked her hard across the face._

_But no matter what they did she would not tell them. She would sooner die than betray her brother, Nerri. She would admit nothing. She screamed over and over again that she knew nothing but they did not believe her. Would never believe her, it seemed._

_A tight group of three or four children shuffled over, ragged and scruffy. Chiana didn't understand. She turned to the closest guard, her eyes wide._

"_I am not lying! I have told you before – I know nothing of any resistance!"_

_The woman sneered. The guard in charge spoke now. "You will tell us."_

"_No I won't! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! Why won't you frelling believe me?"_

"_Because we know you are lying."_

_Chiana scowled. The children started to whimper at the raised voices. They were huddled close and shivering. Chiana's eyes grew dark with sadness and anger._

"_Officer Menz!"_

_The glaring man started and spun around, straightening up. "Sir?"_

"_Captain," the man corrected him, his eyes cold, his chin raised in superiority. His overlarge eyes fell on the children, his movements stiff and swift. "These children, why are they here?"_

"_The Nebari prisoner refuses to co-operate, sir."_

_The Captain sneered. "Did I ask- Did you hear me ask about the Nebari prisoner?"_

_Officer Menz straightened further, his eyes glazed and staring straight ahead. "No, sir."_

"_I didn't think so." He tilted his head slightly._

_Menz stuttered for a moment, blushing deeply. "The… we… the children are here to persuade the Nebari."_

_The Captain pouted, his deep blue eyes growing larger by the microt. "So you say. Proceed."_

"_Sir?" Menz frowned in apparent confusion._

"_Captain!"_

_Menz jolted and rushed to comply. "Captain."_

"_I wish for you to explain this concept. If this is too much to ask I shall be more than pleased to relay your incompetence to-"_

"_Sir, no, sir!"_

"_DO NOT INTERUPT ME!" Menz cringed slightly._

"_Sir! Apologies, sir."_

_The Captain sneered. "I should think so."_

"_The Nebari will confess, sir, or the children will suffer for her. Pain does not seem to affect her, sir."_

_Another sneer. "Pain affects all physical beings, Officer, it is only right."_

"_Yes, sir."_

_The Captain turned back to the children before kneeling down on one knee. He brushed the long hair from his face and tucked it behind his left ear._

_Chiana's heart caught in her chest. The likeness of this man to a former acquaintance scared her. But his voice, his manner, those cold eyes, this scared her more._

"_Little ones?" The huddled group of children looked up from their shoes and turned to him, their eyes scared._

_Chiana was caught by such a feeling of calmness that her legs almost lost the will to hold her up. The feeling passed as quickly as it had come._

_The children no longer shivered._

_The Captain frowned grimly and motioned for the children to approach. They shuffled closer to him, each holding a hand of the other._

_More hair tucked behind the ear. "Little ones I have a task for you. I have a problem and I should like you to help me with this. I would be pleased if you should agree. What say the little ones?"_

_A little boy sniffed and looked around at his friends. "We will help. I am Loma."_

_The Captain nodded and held out a hand for the small boy to shake. "Stark."_

_The boy smiled. "How can we be of assistance, Stark."_

_The Captain nodded to the Nebari prisoner. The children turned briefly before returning their gaze to the Captain._

"_I should like you to explain to this woman that she must tell us all that she knows of the Nebari Resistance. Can you do that?"_

_Loma nodded and smiled proudly. "Yes, sir."_

_Stark smiled. "I am pleased. Go now."_

_The children approached Chiana. Loma spoke first. "You must tell the guards what you know. They will hurt you if you do not. We do not want you to hurt."_

"_No, no we do not," one of the little girls chimed._

_Chiana scowled and shook her head. Using children to persuade her! A lowly thing to do! "I am sorry," she told the children. "I cannot do that. I cannot tell them something I do not know. I cannot lie. You must understand?"_

_The children nodded and rushed the relay their news of the prisoner's response to the Captain._

_The Captain nodded kindly and stood. He addressed Chiana now. "Is that your final answer?"_

_Chiana struggled in the guards' hold, struggled to break free and put the fear of the Goddess into this man. "FRELL YOU! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT DREN! ALL OF YOU!"_

_He nodded once more. "If insults are all you have then I will take that as your final word. Very well." He turned back to the children. "She has made up her mind, I see. Might you not try one more time?"_

_Loma nodded. "We will, sir."_

_The Captain nodded as the children turned away. Chiana opened her mouth to shout more insults, attempting to fight off the guards that bound her._

_The first child fell as if merely asleep and not dead. Chiana's eyes widened impossibly. She watched as if in slow motion as the second child went down._

"_NO! Stop! STOP!"_

_The third child realised what had happened to her friends, but it was just a flicker across her eyes before she collapsed too._

_The Nebari's heart stopped dead. "I'll tell you what you want to know!"_

_Chiana watched desperately for the Captain's reaction. He lowered his pulse weapon slightly, pondering her words. The last child shook terribly as she regarded her dead friends._

"_Child? Come here!"_

_The girl obeyed, terrified._

_A hand brushed the hair from her pale face. "You are a good girl, yes?"_

"_Ye-essss, s-sir."_

"_I thought so."_

_He pulled her into a hug. He raised his pulse weapon one last time._

_Chiana had no time to scream. The lifeless child fell to the floor with a dusty thud. The Captain frowned disgustedly for a moment and then stepped over the small body._

"_You will tell us now."_

* * *

"Turn!"

But her legs couldn't take her meager weight. She continued on towards the floor.

A hated voice. "She will do for her purpose."

She was caught before she fell, held in unwelcome arms.

She started to scream and scratch. She would not go with this man. The Warder smacked her across the face. She was being dragged from the room.

"Do not hit her again! I cannot afford for her to be damaged any more than she already is. From now on I shall handle her discipline. Do we have an understanding, Officer?"

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

Chiana was relocated to a Leviathan. She wondered how Moya and Pilot were doing without her, if they missed her.

She was soon signed over to Captain Stark and shown to her quarters.

She had heard the plan many times, too many times, for she had not meant to know of it in the first.

The plan was simple. Take out the Nebari Resistance, strike an allegiance with the Nebari Prime; destroy the Scarrens.

Chiana vowed that she would have no part in this plan. She would escape. But first she would kill the Captain. Now all she needed was a plan of her own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Escape** by planet p

**Disclaimer** I don't own _Farscape_ or any of its characters.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Two**

"Girl!"

Chiana scowled and spun around sharply, wrenching against the chains that bound her.

The Captain stood in the doorway, looking down on her coldly. "They still call you Chiana?"

Chiana spat at his boots. "FRELL YOU!"

He laughed. "I see you remember me too."

Chiana wrenched on her chains again. "One of these days," she hissed, "one of these days it'll be just me an' you and then I'll kill you!"

He smirked, amused. "Is that so?"

"Frell you!"

"Indeed."

He left her then, threw her food down on the floor just out of her reach.

One day _she would kill him!_

* * *

Giving up on ever reaching the food, she lay down on the floor and stared up at the ceiling.

If she really was going to kill Stark she'd have to make sure he didn't come back again, he had done that before. And he would have to suffer. _For Zhaan._ Chiana snorted. _Yes, he would regret he had ever crossed this Nebari._

* * *

The journey took almost half a cycle, and not for lack of speed. The Nebari Resistance were not exactly the easiest of people to find, and even harder to negotiate with.

They had gone through many many people to finally reach a negotiator for the Resistance, too many for Chiana to count. So many deaths.

And while all this was going on negotiations were also taking place with the Nebari Prime.

Chiana thought that anyone could see that the Peacekeepers were untrustworthy. She hoped that her brother would see.

* * *

"I do not understand why this is so important," Officer Seraq whispered from the other side of the wall.

Chiana stilled and listened for Captain Stark's reply.

They were talking of the information they were gathering on the Nebari Prime, the information they hoped would gain the Resistance's trust.

"It is important because these people are not stupid. If you question me again I shall relieve you of this mission, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!"

"I'm glad we have an understanding, Officer."

"Yes, sir!"

"Very well, you can go."

"Yes, sir."

Chiana scrambled back across the room and pretended to be brushing her hair.

"What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to go down to the kitchens? Did I not tell you to go down to the kitchens? I believe I did. Or do you think that you should be able to do whatever you wish?"

Chiana dropped the brush in her hand as if in shock. "Oh no, sir. I heard you tell me, sir, to go to the kitchens, sir. I did."

He scowled. "And yet here you are?"

She shrugged, grinning. "Here I am."

Another scowl. Her smile faltered as he made to grab her hair. She threw herself on the bed.

"I only wanted to surprise you, sir," she whined. "You were away last night and I missed you." Her words made her stomach churn but this was what she was good at so she pushed the feeling aside.

She twisted her head from side to side. Stark paused, not looking at her, his eyes instead darting around the room.

Chiana crouched on the bed like an animal about to pounce; her right eye twitched several times. A small grin crept to her ebony lips.

Perhaps she could even escape a beating this time?

She hated the things she had to do, hated that she had to make love to a man she did not love, but that was just another thing she would revenge when she killed him.

Some days she missed D'Argo, but she respected his decision to leave Moya to find his son, Jothie.

"I thought… there's still half an arn until dinner." Her grin widened. She had him caught.

* * *

It was a cloudy day topside when she finally disembarked from the Leviathan. She stood for a long while to feel the breeze brush her skin before she was dragged off inside to meet the delegates from the Resistance.

She scowled and pulled away from Stark. "I'm walking," she told him with wide eyes, her head at an extreme tilt with her shoulder.

He didn't give her a second glance.

She rolled her eyes.

* * *

"I am Nerri. The others have been skeptical of this meeting but I am very pleased that you could make it."

Chiana's gaze lifted from her boots. _Nerri! Sweet Nerri! Sweet brother!_ She took a deep breath. Calm yourself, Chiana, she told herself, reminding herself to breathe.

Nerri caught her gaze for a moment before his eyes left hers. She pushed Stark out of her way and seized her brother by the front of his clothes and threw him up against the wall.

"He lies!" she hissed, seethingly. "It's a trap! They've set us up! They want to get the intell and kill us!"

"Chiana!"

Chiana scowled and turned her head in her jittery manner. "If it turns out to be a trap I will not be held accountable."

She released her horrified brother.

Stark scowled. She smiled and twisted her head onto her shoulder. "Apologies, Captain."

* * *

She met Nerri twice after the first meeting and each time she was unable to talk to him.

Soon came the time they were to be taken to Headquarters.

Chiana was sure the Nebari Resistance had something up their sleeves but she couldn't help hoping it was good. The Peacekeepers seemed to think they had them beat.

* * *

Chiana pulled on her white traveling cloak and turned to the door. Stark strode into the room and took her by the arm.

"You keep your mouth shut. Do we have an understanding?"

Chiana frowned. "Of course, sir."

"You better not be lying."

"Oh no! No, sir. Never lying, sir. Never lying."

"I should think not." He swept from the room.

Chiana scowled and rolled her eyes. "_I should think not!_"

* * *

Chiana kept pace behind the Captain. This is it, she thought, this is it.

Stark stopped in the middle of the hall. Chiana screamed and nearly piled up on him.

"You go on, a won't be long," he told his second-in-command, Officer Seraq. "I need a word with the Nebari."

Officer Seraq nodded. "Perhaps you should send her back, sir."

"Perhaps."

Chiana scowled. "Send me back and they'll never trust you!" she spat.

"Did I ask you to speak, Nebari?"

Chiana hissed. "Apologies, Captain. No you did not ask me to speak. I shall not disobey you again."

Officer Seraq frowned, satisfied, and headed off down the hall after his men.

Stark seized her arm.

Chiana growled. "Get off my arm!"

"I will not have you ruining this, Nebari."

She pulled away from him. "I will not have you ruining what we are doing here!"

Stark laughed but he didn't hit her. "We? So you think they'll let you join them if you give us away?"

Chiana growled again, twisting her head madly. "Positive. Time to say nighty-night!" She pulled a knife from her sleeve and pounced on him.

Next moment she was backed up against the wall, her hands behind her back. She hissed and struggled. He twisted her arm further up her back. She screamed loudly in protest.

"I'll do it," he warned.

She stilled. Let him think you don't wanna hurt your pretty arm, she told herself.

She was chucked in one of the rooms and the door was slammed. She picked herself up out of the dust and beat on the door.

"You frelling piece of dren! Come back here so we can fight! You're frelled, you know that! They'll kill you now! THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

Stark disappeared around the corner. She kicked the door and swore loudly in Nebari. She was locked in.

* * *

It was a while later that she heard the start of a ruckus. It appeared someone had done something out of step.

Soldiers piled out of the Leviathan and stormed into the building.

Chiana hid behind the door, pondering whether Stark was dead yet and if he had suffered like she had promised Zhaan he would.

She scowled. There were too many Peacekeepers altogether. The whole of the platoon seemed to have converged.

She rammed herself against the door, determined to get out. Nerri needed her. She was sure of it. She should have been fighting alongside her brother.

The door eventually gave way and flew off its hinges. Chiana burst into raucous laughter. She had done it. She was free.

* * *

The fighting was a fair way into the building. She fought her way through the ruckus using her unique charm of which many officers had been jealous.

When she reached the centre chamber she was feeling quite feverish. It had been a while since she had killed and she wanted blood.

Sebacean blood. Banic blood. His blood.

She edged around the corner and froze. The Peacekeepers were surrounded but not by far out-numbered. In fact it was quite the opposite. The Resistance base turned out to be quite inadequately staffed.

Chiana scowled silently. Frelling Peacekeepers!

* * *

"Shoot! Shoot! Kill them all!"

Nerri turned to their leader and nodded. If they were to die it would not be holed up in some cell or on a carving block. It would be honorably. It would be in battle, fighting for a cause they believed in.

It happened less than a microt before the Nebari opened fire. Chiana felt a familiar wave of calm. Her mind glazed over slightly and all thoughts of pain and killing disappeared. She blinked and mentally shook herself.

The world broke free and returned to normal speed. Pulse blasts shot through the air. Peacekeeper after Peacekeeper fell down dead.

The Nebari were victorious.

Chiana felt cheated. Frelling Peacekeepers! This was sure to mean war between the Peacekeepers and the Nebari.

Nebari Prime would deny the attack, of course, and the Resistance would be exposed and hunted down until every last one was killed.

* * *

Nerri greeted his sister with a hug. "Baby sister, it is good to see you again. Alive!"

Chiana chuckled. "And you. Alive also."

Nerri laughed along with her.

* * *

The Leviathan had apparently left.

Nerri did not understand why the Pilot had left his crew, it was an act of treason; the control collar could never allow such a thing.

* * *

"Chiana, there is something you must see."

Once she had seen the transmission she turned to her brother and shrugged.

"You did not know of this then?"

"No."

"You did not suspect?"

"No."

Chiana frowned and turned back to the screen. It did not make sense, could not make sense.

But there it was.

The transmission explained the reason the Leviathan's leaving its crew behind was that they were dead.


End file.
